1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a battery module having a battery cell stack that is made up of a plurality of flat batteries stacked on one another and enclosed inside a case.
2. Background Information
In recent years, the idea of using a battery module (e.g., Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2005-108693) as an electric power source for an electric car or a hybrid car is being considered. A battery module comprises a plurality of flat battery cells that are stacked in the thickness direction so as to form a battery cell stack and enclosed inside a case (hereinafter called “module case”). Each of the flat battery cells of the battery cell stack comprises an electric power supplying element that has been sealed along with a liquid electrolyte inside a laminating film or other sheet-like exterior material. The electric power supplying elements each comprise positive electrode plates and negative electrode plates (hereinafter called “electrode plates”) that have been stacked on one another.
In view of the above, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure that there exists a need for an improved battery module. This invention addresses this need in the art as well as other needs, which will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure.